#but there you go bulgarian halloween

[stitchwraith-stingers]

anyways happy halloween fuck the princible i had in 6th grade that directly went to classes going "YOU ARE NOT AMERICANS 🤬🤬🤬 YOU ARE BULGARIANS!!!! WE DO NOT CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN" and then singled me out to wash my face because a kid had wet a pencil and drew on me with it

[theslaviccraft]

🍬Slavic Halloween🍬

Hello everyone! Here is my sweet treat for you today I've decided for Halloween I'd post a special Halloween posts to celebrate enjoy! <3

You might be shrugging reading the title slavs celebrate Halloween? Yes we do!, Many slavic nations celebrate Halloween from western Croatia all the way to all the way to the east in Russia slavs have many rituals and traditions for Halloween. Let's dive into slavic Halloween!

🍬Bulgaria🍬

Halloween in Bulgaria is very popular. Children and younger people in the cities do celebrate Halloween and go trick or treating. «почерпка или пакост» (pocherpka ili pakost). Unlike in the rest of slavic countries candies and decorations for Halloween are sold at popular retailers Lidl and Kaufland. (For my western audience those two stores are like Costco and Walmart for the balkans). Clubs in cities will have special events for Halloween for older people who aren’t out trick or treating just like in western nations.

Halloween is associated in Bulgaria with a old traditional carnival called Surva. During the festival the “Kuker’s game” is preformed. Kukeri are elaborate costumes made by Bulgarian man who perform traditional rituals intended to scare away evil spirits. Their costumes are meant to signify the connection between man and nature and they wear their traditional Nošnja underneath. The Kukeri coustomes are large and imposing to scare away evil spirits who threaten the people of the Kukeris village.

This tradition is extremely old dating back to 6 AD to Thracian times. You can draw comparisons to this tradition and how Halloween was celebrated originally to ward of evil spirits when they crossed to our world during the solstice.

Kukeri could possibly come from the Proto-Slavic word kuka ("evil spirit") with the agentive suffix *-aîb, literally meaning a "chaser of evil spirits".

The custom is widespread in Southern and Central regions of the country. The festival also includes a hearty feast and many performances by the Kukeri and their female counterparts. The woman also wear very elaborate incredibly beautiful masks and Nošnja as well as traditional leather tsarvuli for shoes in the parade.

Both woman and man will participate in elaborate staged fights between the powers of good and evil during the festival and while parading in their village. There’s one more type of performer they are called Survakar who too have their own special costume. They look like the monsters from “Where the wild things are”, they come behind festival goers and cleanse them from evil by tapping them on the shoulder with a thin branch. These branches are decorated with assortments of all types of beautiful things like ribbons, silver/golden coins and flowers. All these things signify the sender giving you riches and blessings when they cleanse you. The festival night will end of with the feast of many traditional dishes like, kebapcheta and kyufteta (traditional grilled sausage and meatballs), the cheesey and buttery pastry banitsa, and extreme amounts of plum brandy. (You can tell their balkan lol.) The masked personal guiding the spirits away from the village in the night with lit torches.

🍬Bosnia i Herzegovina🍬

As you might know most of Bosnia's population is of muslim divinity. So, the celebrations of Halloween is not very popular in this country. The country does not consider Halloween a public holiday but a minority of people still celebrate it. In Bosnia the holiday is not called Halloween but "Noć vještica" (Night of witches') the same as in Croatian and Serbia. The celebration of Noć vještica is much more western in Bosnia than other balkan & slavic countries. With customs, face paint, many pumpkins and parades. You will notice in most slavic countries children especially young ones, don't necessarily have "graphic" or "scary" costumes'. They usually have sweet non scary customs like seen in the parade. I remember as a child too I was not allowed to dress as anything scary and my parents drew the line at a witch because that already was "too dark". (hahaha I bet some of my western audience is reading this thinking "but that's so vanilla!") In slavic countries the western tradition of "trick or treat" is not very common or used. Instead children will carry a sack and be given candy during the parades. It seems that in Bosnia Noć vještica is a holiday only popular with children and seen as more of a "joke holiday" for children to have fun and not taken seriously.

🍬Croatia/Hrvatska🍬

In Croatia Noć vještica is a much bigger deal than it is in Bosnia. But I feel it's quite controversial it seems to make many people uncomfortable. Croatia is by far one of the most religious' of the slavic country more so than Poland or Bosnia I'd argue. Most people aren't extremally happy involving themselves with things that are associated with demonic presence or black magic like Halloween is. Croatian Noć vještica usually incorporates a parade of the drowning of Marana. A ancient ritual in slavic tradition. Slavs believed that burning an effigy of the goddess of death (Morana) would remove any results of her presence (i.e., the winter) and thus bring about the coming of spring. On Noć vještica Maranas effigy is burned instead of being drowned like in other cultures. This practice had seemed to be forgotten I'm sure that if you even asked a older croat they wouldn't have known who Morana is. The ritual is often confused with a similar ritual of L'Hom Strom. This tradition I observed as a young girl in my grandmothers village of Kozarac, Croatia. Once when I was 6 I spent Halloween with my grandmother. I got my witch custom and we went into the town square to celebrate with the other children. The straw effigy was incredibly big maybe around 20ft tall it took multiple man to carry it on a stick. It was paraded trough ought our village as we marched and sang. Once the effigy had seen the entirety of the village we went to the giant parking lot behind the city hall and burned the strawed effigy of Morana. The image shown bellow is not of the same effigy or practice I witnessed as a child but I felt bad of not showing you a visual. ;)

The one I had witnessed in Kozarac was way less detailed than this one it looked far more like a simple straw doll.

Croats have many traditional carnivals all over the country. That are very similar to modern Halloween! The carnival in Rijeka is Croatias most famous carnival it’s held in many different cities trough January 17- February (date varies) Rijekas festival also includes a child parade where children dress and ask for candy.

One that you might have seen pictures of before are the sheep headed masks that are worn at this festival, their quite distinctive! In Opatija people will dress in sheepskin and hides for their parades the costumes are named Zvončari ("bellmen"). Just like the traditional celebration of Halloween the belief long ago was that dressing up as a demonic creature would deter and hide you from evil spirits crossing into our world. The people that chose to participate will often decorate themselves with bells small or big and with ribbons. Parading in a long complicated and jovial dances immolating a flock of sheep. This tradition was included in 2009, on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Croats traditionally celebrate Sve Svete (“All Saints Day”) on the day of Halloween.

🍬Serbia🍬

Serbs love Halloween! Out of all the slavic country I would say that they’re the most receptive to it. Serbs fully embrace the western tradition with creepy costumes, trick or treating Смицалица или посластица (Smicalica ili poslastica) and tons of partying! Both children and adults alike celebrate Halloween in Serbia. Both in major cities and in villages. Belograd seems to love to celebrate Halloween with most clubs throwing o parties and events for people too old to trick or treat. The holiday has been celebrated in Serbia for a while now, the oldest post I could find about a bloggers experince of Halloween in Serbia was 2011 and even in the distant past the blogger was very casual about their celebration of the holiday in the country.

Serbia also seems to have a traditional festival like Croatia and Bulgaria similar to Halloween. But for the love of Lady Athena I could not find much information online besides some pictures!

Here is my brief proof that the festival even exists:

This concludes this year’s Halloween post! Hopefully you’ve learned something new and interesting about slavic traditions regarding Halloween. I hope you will join me next year too when we dive into more ways that the slavic nations enjoy themselves for the spooky holiday. Have fun trick or treating tonight everyone! <3

[rabbitcruiser]

Maundy Thursday

Christians mark Maundy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper, every year on the Thursday before Easter, March 28.  It’s also know as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, and the Thursday of Mysteries in various traditions.

Maundy refers to the foot-washing Jesus provided the apostles prior to the Last Supper. Christians around the world, especially Catholics, mark the day with a special mass and prayers.

The word “Maundy” itself comes from an Anglo-French word derived from the Latin “mandatum,” which means “commandment.”

Maundy Thursday timeline

2019

Honoring Notre Dame

UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced bells will ring at cathedrals across England on Maundy Thursday. It's a show of support for France following the devastating Notre Dame fire.

1979

The Chrism

The Book of Common Prayer was published in Britain calling for the Chrism Mass to be consecrated by Anglican Bishops.

1945

The bombing of Manila

Maundy Thursday in the Philippines commemorates the seven churches that were destroyed when Manila was bombed in 1945.

1822

Maundy coins

In the United Kingdom, the Church of England created Maundy Coins, handed to parishioners to mark Maundy Thursday. The coins replaced the real currency that was previously given to parishioners as charity.

How to Observe Maundy Thursday

Go to church: Christian churches celebrate with a special mass and prayers. Even if you're not a Christian or a believer, you can learn a lot about one of the more important days on the Christian calendar by visiting a local Christian church.

Learn the story: Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday represent the beginning of the transformational story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We're all better off if we deepen our understanding of the faith traditions of others. Pick up a book or watch a documentary that highlights the importance of Maundy Thursday within Christianity.

Spend the day being humble: Maundy Thursday is a great opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of humility. Regardless of your own faith traditions, use Maundy Thursday to check yourself throughout the day for signs that you could always use a bit more humility in your life.

Maundy Thursday Around The World

Czech Republic and Slovakia: Maundy Thursday in local parlance translates to Green Thursday, when meals are prepared primarily from fresh, green vegetables.

Kerala State, India: Unleavened Pehasa bread is made in homes and consumed with coconut milk.

Sweden: Maundy Thursday is connected to old folklore as the day of the witches. Similar to Halloween, children dress up as witches and go door-to-door collecting coins or candy.

Bulgaria: Bulgarians color Easter eggs and clean their houses in preparation for what they call Crucifixion Friday.

Luxembourg: Church bells fall silent on Maundy Thursday until Easter, marking a symbolic migration to Rome for confession.

Why Maundy Thursday is Important

Strong traditions: Holy Week is one of the more important celebrations on the Christian Calendar, and Maundy Thursday is a key day of the week. Christian traditions from around the globe, from Armenia to Africa to Germany, mark the day with special masses and prayers.

It celebrates humility: The washing of the disciples' feet by Jesus was intended to be a sign of humility. Jesus was humbling himself before his own servants as a last gesture before knowing he was to be crucified. Masses on this day now highlight the importance of humility in the Christian faith.

It ties Christian denominations together: Christian faiths celebrate Maundy Thursday throughout the world. Part of its tradition, which carries into Good Friday, is for observers to visit 14 different Christian churches, one for each station of the cross. It unifies the Christian church regardless of region or country.

Source

[blondrichclosetwitch]

Scarf 8/4/17

(This recording is when I was woken up in the middle of the night. I would start having pains or the feeling of someone having sex with me, which was as weird and invasive as it sounds. It also happened to Steel.

(Throughout this you can hear the jangles of keys tied to a scarf as responses, though mostly I would see the words she was saying in my head, or pictures. I had been receiving transmissions like this for 11 months. I had also thrown absolutely everything out of my apartment that could be used as a swinging thing for psychic communication: necklaces, pendulums, belly dancing belts, and rosaries, which is why I tied keys onto a scarf.)

Feel the roots, feel the breath, hear the still small voice of the spirit and all will be as it should be. Feel the roots, field breath, here they still small voice of the spirit and I will be as it should be. Feel the roots, feel the breath, hear a still small voice of the spirit and all will be as it should be. (This is a prayer against evil that is considered ultimately protective that a theologian taught me. I always said it before calling in any of the three witches to speak with psychically.)

Blondrichclosetwitch.

Blondrichclosetwitch. Blondrichclosetwitch.

I told you I wasn’t doing this anymore. It’s four in the morning. It’s 410, it’s 4:12. You are like in my stomach. What? What? What? What do you want? You’ve got to stop. Blond. I told you yesterday listen to me. I’m not joking around. Blond.

Blond I wasn’t kidding.. I’m not kidding about us being done. Do you understand? I can’t do this. I can’t do this. You need… You need to leave me alone. I’ll go back to the Bulgarian and she’ll get you back out.

But you can’t Be invading my space. This is fucked up. I don’t know exactly what you did,…..

What?

You need to undo whatever you did, Blond. Did you do that thing to my body that made my hips… And my lower back?

You did? Are you doing the thing to my body right now?

Blond you can’t be waking me up in the middle of the night! You can’t.

(A light flickers.)

Did you make that lightbulb just do that? You did. Do something else. (Challenging her angrily) do something else. Do something else!

See you’re not that impressive.

I don’t know what you think it’s gonna happen here. We’re still done. And I’m still getting you out, and once you’re out, you’re out. do you understand? So you should stop. And go peacefully.

Or this can get ugly, do you want this to get ugly?

(A long pause)

Like I said, you’ve had sex with me for the last time. We’re done. Go use Lauren for that or whomever. I don’t care. The amount of fucked up shit that you did…

(Upset) The stories you put in my head about Stella being tortured? About her pulling the miscarriage out of you? About feeding her? About her being scared on Halloween cause she didn’t have a costume?

When I show that to the public, do you know what they’re gonna think of you?

Do you know how much I hate you right now? Do you know how much I hate you? With every bone. With my heart and my soul.

I don’t care how much I loved you back then, I don’t care how much I tried to save you every single time in this last year.

Right now listening to all of the shit you put me through… All the fucked up shit… Because you were angry about something that happened to us in the past.

That you don’t have the courage to just talk to me about like normal people do.

And the shit you told me as the Tarot Reader about you being 10 years old, and being able to see the future since you were 12?

That was you. But instead you’ve been taking it out on me my whole life, is that accurate? Is that accurate Blond?

Is my life a mess because you’ve been doing the stuff that you said that the Tarot Reader did… Did you do those spells Blond? Yes?

And the reason that I’m talking through keys on a scarf right now is because you don’t have the nerve to face me, you think you’re just gonna keep punishing me? This doesn’t go on. This doesn’t go on.

You need to get some balls, girl. You should’ve learned something from me by now. Can you die, blonde? Cause you know what? I can’t.

That one and that one won’t let me die.

That’s why I’m here right?

And you were who in the past? Were you the devil or were you Judas? You were Judas? You were the one who betrayed… Judas’ Kiss.

You kissed Jesus and that’s how they took him away. Were you also Delilah?

And so you betrayed Samson and cut off all his hair.

I’m going to remind you of this one more time. (She starts to read an old version of psalm 91. )

At least you gave me back God.

You are not welcome, Blond. I forbid you I forbid you and any demonic presence from (pats her upper body) my body, and this house. Do you understand me? You are forbidden. this is a house of angels. You are darkness, Blond. and until you go to God, do you understand me? Until you go to God, you are not welcome. You are not welcome in my energy field, you are not welcome in my auric field, you are not welcome in any of my fields.

You are forbidden from my mind, my body, and my soul I am protected. And whatever little bit of your damage that you managed to momentarily put on me, and me, whatever, take with you. Take it, and leave me alone. Whatever you want to do to yourself, do to yourself, Blond. But I said it to you before and I’ll say it to you again: I am not yours. I am not yours. and if I have to do whatever I have to do, I will.

Do not come back, do not wake me up again do not come into my mind, my dreams again. My hands, my legs. Nothing. Nothing Blond.

And stop fucking with my work.

Cause you’ve caused a fuck load of trouble girl and you’re about to get it.

Now it is time for you to go. Goodbye.

(We hear jingles. She takes apart the keys from the scarf vehemently. )

(End tape)

Anger 8/4/17

That was why…We couldn’t be together. Because it hinged on your mental health. Because it was so touch and go, and he wouldn’t dare. It was so dependent, you were so dependent on him. And he wouldn’t do anything to endanger it. He was so careful with you, and you know it. You know he was. And so he jumped whenever… He wouldn’t do anything wrong. And we suffered. I suffered. I didn’t get anything. And you know it. I never got him to spend the night with me in five years. So what’s this… it just got worse. You knew that the whole time, you knew what this really was about… It wasn’t so much that you were like this bipolar depressive, it was that I was… The love of your life. From a different lifetime. (Sadly laughs)

how the fuck do you pull off something this calculated? And fool someone like Jakk?

How does he not know this? How do you live such a double life Blond? Oh right you’ve been doing this the whole time, like, you were having affairs while you were living with him anyway, and lying to his face. Dude, it’s fucking time to come clean. Five years of this shit……..five years.

And you think I would have anything, anything to do with you? Really? Why? Because you were able to fool me? Because you’re good at fucking me? Who the fuck cares. Do you know what? That means nothing in comparison to honesty and compassion. And real love. I think that you are… I want you gone. The only thing I want for you… I want you gone. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. You ruined my life. I don’t want to have these stupid conversations with you anymore, I want you gone.

(End tape)

Are you a spirit? 8/6/17

(My body is a cage by arcade fire starts to play. She laughs. )

//(insinuates the jingling)

(Sighs)

Okay. who isthis?

Is this a spirit?

It’s a spirit.

//

It’s a spirit. //

Are you a New spirit? Are you an old spirit?

//

You’re an old spirit. How long have you been with me. You’re an old spirit.

//are you.../ do you pretend to be people?///

Is this Blondrichclosetwitch? Is this Blondrichclosetwitch?

were you going to try and trick me and get me to think that this was a spirit? /

yeah we’ve been through this a little too much to like (sighs) you and i have been going at this too long for this tohave this just be a spirit.

I mean i respect steel, i do. And i do agree that ;like at some times spirits do do things but the bulgarian knew what she was talking about. /

I’m not doing this with you.

i’m getting out of this. I’m going to let the world know what you’ve done.

It’s going to be ugly. When the world hears those tapes, blond, and you know i will..have fun masturbating to that ok? your memories of me. ///////

( mocking her) Aw…….oh are you doing it right now? Are you? Did i get you a little excited? //yeah?

/ did i?

Oh plus i’m Wearing this shirt/ it always did do it for you didn’t it.

I know it’s rough.

Plus there’s a little bit of light. (evenflow)

so have a nice night. You didn’t tell me what i needed to know. Anything else?

hmm? That’s not for YOU. not for you.

Sorry. Sorry. Mm mm. Mmm mmm. Oh. this?

Oh i couldn’t. /

sorry. No youve been a very bad girl. You’ve been a very bad girl, Blond.

*Very very* bad girl, Blond.

Very very bad.

See i cut my bangs.

Time for you to go. You’re giving me a headache. And no i’m not having sex with you.

(End tape.)

Baby, hold up, I can kill your migraine

Look at my finger: that is a glacier, hits like a laser...

Takin' trips with all them ki's, car keys got B's (Uh)

[useless-bulgariafacts]

October 14th is Petkovden (Петковден), or the feast day of St. Paraskeva of the Balkans, also known as St. Petka. She is an 11th century Christian Orthodox saint and ascetic, originally hailing from the town of Epivates in modern Turkey. After being called forth by God, she gave away her possessions to the poor and lived out most of her life in the desert. Legend goes, that after she died and was buried, an old sinner who had drowned at sea was buried next to her. Paraskeva protested this by appearing in a dream to a local monk and informing him of her grave's location; when her body was unearthed it was found to be incorrupt (not decomposed.) During the following centuries, her relics would travel around the Balkans, eventually being transferred to Iași, Moldavia, where they remain to this day.

Paraskeva is traditionally one of the most highly venerated saints in Bulgaria. Between 1238 and 1393, when her relics were in Veliko Tŭrnovo, she gained the moniker "Saint Petka of Bulgaria" (Света Петка Българска) and the reputation of a protector of the Bulgarian people, and she is still revered as such today. Notably, Bulgarian tsars, such as Ivan Alexander (1331-1371) would swear oaths in her name.

On the folk side of things, Petkovden is an important agrarian holiday with ancient roots. It marks the end of the autumn harvest and sowing, and the beginning of livestock mating season, which is why it's also associated with shepherds and farm animals. Fittingly, after Petkovden begins likewise the planning of engagements and weddings. On the day itself the village would organize a feast; an animal, usually white, will be ritually slaughtered in the churchyard, a kurban would be prepared and blessed by a priest, after which everyone would celebrate by eating, drinking, singing and dancing. The holiday would function as a sgleda, in other words an opportunity for young people to meet and get acquainted, while being chaperoned by older relatives.

Petkovden is naturally the name day of anyone named Paraskeva, Petko, Petka, or any of their derivatives. Due to her connection to Friday (per her name), St. Petka is also regarded as a patron of women, children and the hearth. Infertile women will sometimes spend the night in a place dedicated to St. Petka, such as the rock chapel near Trŭn (pictured above), in the hopes that she will help them conceive. On the days between Petkovden and Dimitrovden (Oct. 26) there is a traditional ban on feminine activities involving wool – spinning, cutting, sewing – as it is believed that anyone wearing clothes made during this period will be attacked by wolves, or fall ill, die and turn into a vampire. To anyone who doesn't honor this restriction, it is said St. Petka will appear in the form of a snake.

The aforementioned time period (14.10-26.10) is the transition between fall and winter, the latter thought to kick off on Dimitrovden. Thematically, this makes it a liminal period between life and death (not unlike Friday, which signifies the end of the work week and beginning of a period of rest), ergo these restrictions exist as a safeguard against the unknown and chaotic powers, in full swing during this time. This is also why St. Petka is seen as a mediator between the two worlds, pictured in folk legends as dwelling among the dead, and alongside Archangel Michael, judging the souls who wish to be granted entry into Heaven. On Petkovden, individual families will traditionally hold smaller, private celebrations, called semeĭna sluzhba, in honor of their stopanin – a deceased relative/ancestor, seen as a protector of the household. A ritual loaf of bread would be baked and blessed with frankincense, then placed on the table onto a clean shirt, next to a small bowl of salt and a glass of wine. Every family member will proceed to take three bows before it, after which the eldest present will raise the loaf above their head and say a blessing for health and good fortune. In some regions, a special Petkovdenska Zadushnica is also held in remembrance of the dead. Petkovden is, thus, inextricably linked to rituals like Kokosha Cherkva, which similarly involve ritual sacrifice and seek to appease powers beyond human comprehension.

Petkovden, like many other Bulgarian holidays, represents a layering of Christian traditions and older, pagan beliefs and practices. It has resulted in a saint who is simultaneously a patron of Life and Death (or perhaps more accurately, what lies inbetween?), a personification of fertility and new beginnings and an usherer in of winter and darkness; a day equal parts merry and somber.

[imagining-in-the-margins]

Halfway to Halloween | CM Fantasy!AUs

Hey friends! This is my first attempt at hosting a Monthly Challenge, and we decided to do a collection of Fantasy!AUs in honor of us being Halfway to Halloween!

I hope you enjoy these works, and if you have any Fantasy!AUs you want to be added, please let me know! I'd love to make this a rec list for everything Criminal Minds-and-Fantasy!

SFW Fics

Lost Boy (series) by @spencers-dria: Fairytale!AU based on the song.

A Dash of Truth by @90spumkin: Reader is a witch but doesn’t want everyone to know, especially Spencer.

Magic Works in Mysterious Ways by @andiebeaword: Witch!Reader. If a witch or warlock doesn’t marry by their 30th birthday, they forfeit their magic and become mortal. At a Halloween party, Reader meets a particular lanky man who shows her magic goes beyond what the eyes can see.

His Brightest Star by @eidetic-trash: Fem!Reader. Spencer asks the fortune teller if he’ll be happy in the end.

A Trip to Remember by @dr-spencer-reids-queen: Mermaid!Reader. For three thousand years, you’ve known only what the lake has to offer you. Everything changes when you meet Spencer Reid

Le vélo pour deux by @kirencer : GN!Reader. Vampire Spencer who has a tandem bike, based off of Le vélo pour deux by the Brobecks.

400 Years by @beautiful-bau-beau: Vampire!Spencer and Reader get kidnapped together.

Hawthorn by @reidetic: GN!Reader. Based on the Bulgarian concept of a Samodiva. JJ and Reader go dancing.

Kiss Them or Keep Them by @reidgraygubler: GN!Reader. Spencer loses his best friend, but has a secret gift to bring them back.

Bite by @there-must-be-a-lock: GN!Reader. Vampire!Spencer. Sexy biting, with a side of science.

Shachath's Kiss by @may-b-a-u-shewritestoo: Angel!Reader. It’s Halloween and the team are sent out to investigate strange occurrences in California, but the holiday isn’t the only mysterious and spooky goings on.

NSFW Fics

A Little Familiar (series) by @mercy-burning: Fem!Reader. She has been Spencer’s companion for 25 years now, and he finds a special way to celebrate with her.

Thimble of Honey by @imagining-in-the-margins: Fem!Fairy!Reader. Spencer falls for the fairy in his garden.

Clever Hands by babyleaf (AO3): Fem!Elf!Reader becomes obsessed with Spencer and starts stealing his things to try and understand her fascination with him.

Nectar of the Night by @kirencer: GN!AFAB!Reader’s favorite neighbor isn’t doing so well … he needs a bite to eat.

👻 Happy Halfway to Halloween, everyone! 🎃

[fernthewhimsical]

April Fools 2022 Shufflemancy!

Since the world is a bit shite atm I think we could all use some lighthearted fun and mischief. So on April Fools (tomorrow) I want to offer some shufflemancy!

There are two playlists to choose from: "General Mayhem" and "My Life in Music" (bonus: get to know me better!). I will put the playlist on shuffle, pick a piece from the music/lyrics and make a small reading out of it.

Nothing too serious or daunting, just some lighthearted fun. Like the witchblr trick or treat around halloween. And since the music on those playlists goes from Spice Girls to Halestorm, from classical and musicals to Bulgarian polka, and from Witch Doctor to Spin Doctors, we have some opportunity for chaos.

So if you want a shufflemancy "reading", leave an ask with your favourite nickname/endearment (or the initials thereof), your favourite hot drink, and your preferred playlist! Shufflemancy closes at the end of April Fools, but because of timezones it might not be on your April 1st, but I'll just keep going until my ask box is empty.

[headcanonsandmore]

Hermione and Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Weasley

Summary:  A Romione WLW AU, with Hermione and her best friend Veronica 'Ronnie' Weasley, the sweet redheaded girl who... well, who Hermione finds herself very confused about.

This fic was inspired by a similar AU scenario fic by @hillnerd. As with everything Hilly does, her fic is amazing, but hopefully my fic doesn’t look too bad by comparison. 

                  Read on FFN.                                      Read on AO3.

~~~~~~~~~

Hermione Granger had a problem.

Well, not so much a problem. More of a…. confusion. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

And it had to do with her best friend. Veronica “Ronnie” Weasley.

Ronnie was funny, sweet, kind, and athletic. Over six foot tall, with a mane of long red hair and a mass of freckles, she immediately caught the eye. The boys couldn’t help but notice her, and many of the girls either admired her or felt jealousy towards her. Hermione had lost count of the time she’d seen Dean and Seamus staring at Ronnie from across the common room. On a few occasions, she’d even seen Neville blush after Ronnie had smiled at him.

Not that Ronnie noticed any of this. The redhead had always felt lacking, either to her older brothers or to her younger sister Ginny. Ronnie was, like all her siblings, good at schoolwork, but she had never felt like she could stand out. She had confided to Hermione that, even if she had done well, no-one would ever think much of it, since her brothers had all done it before.

And then there was Ginny. Ronnie’s little sister was about almost a foot shorter, and with more of a nervous energy than that of her older siblings. Hermione had often wondered whether the Weasleys all had a set amount of passion, and that those of a shorter persuasion tended to be more on-edge than their lankier siblings. Granted, this theory didn’t necessarily explain why the short Charlie was so relaxed, while the taller Percy was the exact opposite. Maybe the Weasleys all just reacted differently to their circumstances.

Ronnie was not an intense person. In fact, Hermione found her almost supernaturally relaxed and affable. More prone to telling a chuckle-inducing joke as opposed to an over-the-top prank that was the preferred tactic of Fred and George.

Hermione preferred Ronnie’s way of doing things. Hermione liked a lot about Ronnie. Even if Ronnie personally thought her own matey-ness with people made her unattractive, Hermione couldn’t imagine why such friendliness and kindness could be considered unappealing.

To boys, of course. Yes, just to the boys.

Hermione had the distinct impression that Ronnie felt lacking compared to her little sister. Maybe it was Ronnie’s lack of interest in “girly” things, or her seeming-inability to act with “decorum” (as Hermione’s parents would have put it). It was common for Ronnie to wear a pair of hand-me-down school trousers instead of skirts because, as she herself put it, she hated having to worry about whether people could see up her legs.

Hermione always found herself flustered whenever Ronnie joked about this. Ronnie did have very long legs after all.

She had been friends with Ronnie for years, ever since the Halloween of first year. They hadn’t exactly gotten along before then but, since the incident with the troll, they had become firm friends. It was nice being friends with someone else in the girls dormitory; Lavender and Parvati had never really clicked with Hermione. Ronnie was the first female friend Hermione had ever had.

And then third year had happened.

The two of them had fallen out over their pets. Crookshanks and Scabbers had never gotten along and, at one point, it had looked like Crookshanks had eaten Ronnie’s rat. It had been really lonely not speaking to Ronnie for all that time.

But they had become friends again, and things had settled back to how they had been before.

Well, not exactly.

Ronnie had always been a good friend, but Hermione hadn’t understood why she had missed Ronnie so much when they weren’t speaking. She certainly hadn’t missed Harry in the same way, which was even weirder considering that Harry was a boy.

Hermione had missed Ronnie’s smile, her laugh, her beautiful red hair, the way she would throw an arm around Hermione’s shoulders as they walked to class, the way she would bound up to her and hug Hermione tightly, and the way she would stretch out in the common room so that Hermione couldn’t help but notice her-

Yes, she had certainly missed her friend Ronnie. The same friend who made butterflies appear in Hermione’s stomach whenever Ronnie smiled at her. The same friend who began to inhabit Hermione’s dreams in ways she was becoming very confused about.

Hermione had hoped that… whatever this was would disappear over the summer holidays, and she could just enjoy her friendship with Ronnie with no extra complications.

No such luck. Fourth year had just made everything even more confusing. Harry and Ronnie hadn’t spoken for a while after Harry’s name had appeared in the goblet of fire. Hermione had desperately tried to patch things up between them but, in the end, they had worked it out themselves after the first task.

It was good for them to be a trio again. Although Hermione, Ronnie and Harry had always been a bit unusual. Parvati and Lavender had always been giggling over it, asking both Hermione and Ronnie about which of them Harry was dating. Hermione had always rolled her eyes at this. To her, Harry had always been like a younger brother. Like all younger brothers, he was always getting into mischief and being annoying, but he was her brother nonetheless.

Ronnie had always laughed her head off whenever this question was proposed by Lavender and Parvati. Harry was “her best mate”. End of. Nothing more to say.

But… well, as the Yule Ball approached, suddenly Ronnie stopped laughed and started blushing, avoiding Hermione’s eyes.

‘It’s none of your business,’ she had mumbled, her ears flashing their tell-tale pink.

Hermione had felt her heart slowly sink, although she tried to avoid thinking about why.

Sure enough, the day before the Yule Ball, Hermione had asked Harry about who he was taking, and the boy who lived had blushed scarlet.

‘Er… I asked Ronnie.’

Hermione dropped the book she was holding. The two of them were in the library.

‘What? You mean… you…’

‘I-I don’t know, okay!’ Harry stammered. ‘It’s just… I needed a date for the Ball and Ronnie’s my best mate, so it made sense.’

‘Oh.’

‘Yeah.’

At that moment, someone tapped Hermione on the shoulder. It was Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang champion.

‘Excuse me, may I have a vord?’

Harry looked at the Bulgarian suspiciously.

‘Yes, it’s fine,’ Hermione said, leading Krum away into the next aisle of bookshelves. ‘Which section are you looking for?’

‘No… I… er…’

 *

 ‘Krum?!’

Ronnie’s face looked horrified. It was several hours later, in their dormitory.

‘Well, it wasn’t as if I was going with anyone, so why not?’

‘He’s eighteen, Hermione!’ Ronnie said, urgently. ‘He’s way too old for you!’

‘He’s not dating me, Ronnie,’ Hermione replied. ‘He’ll be more like a chaperone than anything else. Besides, it’s just one ball. It’s not like he’s asking to marry me.’

‘I should think not!’ Ronnie’s face was strangely angry. ‘You’re too good for him.’

Hermione felt her cheeks blush.

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Er, congratulations about you and Harry, by the way.’

‘You… you know about that?’ Ronnie asked.

Hermione nodded, wondering why the mood suddenly felt so tense.

‘Yes, he told me earlier. It was nice of you to go with him.’

‘You think so?’

‘Yes. I think you’ll have a great time.’

Hermione hoped that her voice didn’t sound as falsely-cheery as she suspected.

 *

 The Yule Ball was something of an event. It was interesting hearing from Viktor Krum about what Bulgaria was like, but she found herself distracted. Possibly due to the fact that Ronnie and Harry were sat only a few chairs down the table, and kept giggling over stuff. Ronnie was wearing a very lacy dress that Mrs Weasley had only managed to get third-hand; since Ronnie was so tall compared to most girls, her clothes had always been a bit… well, difficult to acquire on a budget. The dress was a few inches shorter than her normal summer shorts were, and Hermione had got the distinct impression that Harry was trying not to stare too much when they had walked through the crowd with the other champions and their partners.

Hermione probably would have enjoyed the dancing too, except that she kept looking round to see what Ronnie and Harry were up to. Ronnie’s hair was long and had a sweet flowery scent that seemed to follow it around the room. Her smile was wide as she danced with Harry, and the way she kept laughing made it difficult for Hermione to concentrate on her own dancing. Why was she so distracted?

‘Vould you like a drink?’ Viktor Krum asked, after a very fast song had finished.

Hermione nodded, and he left for the buffet table.

At that moment, Hermione noticed that Harry and Ronnie were walking towards the balcony area.

Deciding to catch up with them, Hermione darted between several other couple, and poked her head out through the curtains.

Her stomach turned to lead.

Harry was kissing Ronnie on the mouth, and Ronnie was kissing him back.

Stumbling backwards through the curtain, Hermione pushed through the crowd and began to make for the exit. However, she bumped into Ginny and Neville.

‘I’m… feeling a bit unwell,’ she mumbled. ‘Could you tell Viktor Krum that I’ve had to leave?’

Ginny and Neville nodded, but looked concerned and a little confused.

Hermione didn’t stop hurrying until she had arrived back in her dormitory. She washed her make-up off, changed into her pyjamas, and climbed into her four-poster bed.

She had started crying before her head even hit the pillow.

 *

 ‘So… yeah.’

‘Bit weird, but… well, that’s it.’

It was the next day. Harry and Ronnie were talking to Ginny about what had happened. Hermione was eating her breakfast without looking at any of them.

‘So… are you two dating?’ Ginny asked.

Ronnie laughed nervously.

‘No; but… well, we’re gonna see how things change. If it’s not our cup of tea, we can stay friends instead.’

‘Yeah,’ Harry said, cheerfully. ‘Take a bit more than kissing for us to stop being best mates.’

‘Yeah, but…’ Ginny said, her eyes darting to Hermione and then back to Ronnie. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Er, yeah,’ Ronnie said. ‘H-Hermione, what do you think?’

Hermione blinked hurriedly.

‘Oh, I’m sure you two will be very happy,’ she said, a little too cheerfully. ‘I hope you don’t me being a third wheel, then. Anyway, we need to get to first period now.’

Harry nodded, and stood up.

Ronnie remained sitting, looking at Hermione with a slightly confused expression on her freckled face.

Ginny gave a sigh, and went back to her breakfast.

 *

 The next few weeks were not fun for Hermione. Ronnie and Harry had always been a duo and, now that they were sort-of together, Hermione had never felt more like a third wheel. Even though both of them were clearly trying their best not to exclude her, she couldn’t help but feel miserable.

And that wasn’t even getting into the way her heart would thump painfully whenever she caught Ronnie looking at Harry.

It was ridiculous. Hermione couldn’t be jealous! What was there to be jealous of? Harry was like a brother to her, so it clearly wasn’t that.

No, it was something else.

It was Ronnie.

Hermione was in love with Ronnie.

She tried to not think about this. Which normally would have been difficult. But luckily, they were both helping Harry about the second task, which took up a lot of time and mental headspace. And their coursework was so time-consuming that Hermione barely had time to think about her feelings for Ronnie.

Could girls even fall for each other? Hermione had read about that sort of thing happening, but she never would have imagined that it would happen to her.

The day before the second task, she (along with Ronnie) were helping Harry with his preparations for the second Triwizard task, when the Weasley twins arrived.

‘Ronnie, you and Hermione have got a message from Professor McGonagall.’

‘What?’ Hermione asked, confused. ‘She can’t seriously ban us from helping Harry, can she?’

‘No, she just wants you and Ronnie to go to Dumbledore’s office.’

Hermione exchanged confused glances with Ronnie.

When they arrived at Dumbledore’s office, they were not the only confused people there. Cho Chang was also there, plus a young girl speaking in fluent French who was presumably Fleur Delacour’s little sister.

Dumbledore explained about what the second Triwizard task was, and how it would include all of them. Each of the champions would have a hostage, who would be in an enchanted sleep at the bottom of the great lake. The hostages would be perfectly safe underwater, and would return to normal once they were brought back to the surface of the lake.

‘Professor,’ Hermione asked, raising her hand. ‘I don’t understand; why has Harry got both me and Ronnie as his hostages? And where is the hostage for Viktor Krum?’

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow.

‘Miss Granger, you are Mister Krum’s hostage, not Mr Potter’s.’

Hermione’s eyes widened in confusion. Viktor Krum? She was his “the person he would miss most”? Why? She’d been to the ball with him, but that was it. She hadn’t really spoken to him much since, aside from apologising for leaving the Yule Ball early. Why was she his hostage? Surely, he had friends from Durmstrang that would be a better pick?

Hang, on. Ronnie was Harry’s hostage. The person Harry would miss most.

So, that meant Ronnie was…

Hermione felt her heart sink. She couldn’t even look Ronnie in the eye, but she felt the redhead tense next to her.

Maybe Harry and Ronnie will become a full couple after he rescues her in the task, Hermione thought, miserably, as she slipped into unconsciousness from the sleeping spell Dumbledore had casted, I guess there never was any hope for me…

The next thing Hermione knew, she was treading water in the middle of the great lake. Viktor Krum was pulling her towards the shoreline. Her uniform felt heavy and sodden.

‘Where’s… where’s Harry and Ronnie?’ she asked, as Madam Pomfrey bustled them over to a tent nearby. ‘Haven’t… haven’t they come back yet?’

Madam Pomfrey patted her hand in sympathy, and tutted under her breath, as if she’d quite like a word with the person who came up with the idea for the second task.

A portion of pepper-up potion later, plus some warming spells, and Hermione was stood on the shoreline with Cho Chang and a very worried-looking Fleur Delacour. The French girl’s hostage was still down in the lake. Cho had put an arm around her.

‘They’ll be fine,’ the Ravenclaw was saying. ‘The judges won’t let any harm come to- oh, hello, Hermione.’

‘Hello. Have… have Harry and Ronnie got back yet?’

Cho shook her head.

There was a shout from the crowd, and Hermione looked round. Three people had just surfaced in the middle of the lake. Hermione could see a mane of very familiar red hair. Dashing past Viktor Krum (who seemed intent on chatting to her about something), Hermione wade into the shallows of the water. Fleur Delacour and Percy Weasley joined her.

‘I’m fine, Harry,’ Ronnie was saying, as Harry helped her towards the shore. The two of them were stood awkwardly in the shallows. Percy had stopped fussing over Ronnie, and had gone to find them some warm blankets, followed by the Delacour sisters.

Harry leaned forward and kissed Ronnie on the lips.

Hermione felt her heart sink and, turning away, she walked out of the lake, ignoring Viktor Krum’s renewed attempts at conversation, and left for the castle. People looked at her in confusion as she pushed past. She was glad that she had been given the pepper-up potion, as the February wind whipped through her.

Before she knew it, she was lying in her four-poster bed, crying her eyes out. She had somehow managed to close the curtains around her before she broke down completely. When was she ever going to get over this? She had no “claim” on Ronnie; after all, Ronnie liked boys, Ronnie liked Harry. And, next to Harry, why would Ronnie possibly look at Hermione? A bookworm. A girl. Just the best friend.

‘H-Hermione?’

Ronnie. Oh, god, Hermione thought, she can’t see me like this…

‘G-go away, Ronnie.’

‘What, and leave you miserable? Not on your life.’

‘I’m-I’m fine, Ronnie. J-just a bit exhausted from the task.’

‘Did… did Krum do something to you?’

‘No!’ Hermione exclaimed, pulling back the curtains of her four-poster. ‘Of course not! He’s barely even held my hand! What… how could you…’

‘W-well,’ Ronnie said, her ears turning pink. ‘You were “the person he would miss the most”, after all.’

Hermione stared at her for a second.

‘I don’t see Viktor Krum like that,’ she said, earnestly. ‘He’s… well… like a chaperone.’

‘He fancies you.’

‘You mean like Harry fancies you?’

Ronnie looked as if Hermione had slapped her.

‘You… you saw him kissing me, then?’

Hermione nodded.

‘Is that why you’re crying?’

Hermione mentally cursed. Her cheeks were still wet with tears.

‘I’m… I’m very happy for you both.’

‘Don’t insult my intelligence, Hermione,’ Ronnie said, hotly. ‘You’re clearly upset about it. What, you fancy Harry or something?’

‘What? No!’ Hermione said. ‘Harry’s like a brother to me! Why would you-’

‘Well, what’s your problem, then?!’ Ronnie exclaimed, coming to stand barely a few inches away from her.

‘Don’t be… it’s… well…I-’

‘Hermione, what is it?’

‘It’s not Harry that I fancy, Ronnie; it’s you!’

There was a deafening silence.

‘I… I shouldn’t have said that,’ Hermione mumbled. ‘Sorry, forget I-’

‘No, what do you mean?’ Ronnie asked. ‘Do… do you mean that?’

‘Y-yes,’ Hermione whispered. ‘I’m sorry. I know you don’t see me like that. I’ve ruined our friendship-’

Hermione stopped talking. Because Ronnie had suddenly leaned forward and was kissing her on the mouth. Hermione’s brain seemed to disengage. Ronnie’s lips were soft and delicate as they pressed against Hermione’s. The redhead’s body heat felt like a warm fire against her, despite how little they were touching.

A few seconds later, although it could have lasted for hours for all that Hermione knew, Ronnie pulled away slightly.

‘Do… do you really mean that?’ Ronnie whispered, her hands tender as they interlaced with Hermione’s. ‘You… you really fancy me?’

Hermione nodded, feeling very confused.

‘Yes. Ever since… actually, I don’t know when. But… why…’

‘I… I fancy you, Hermione,’ Ronnie said, softly. ‘I… I thought you didn’t feel the same way.’

‘You fancy me?’

‘Er, did I not just kiss you? Would have thought it’d be a giveaway…’

Hermione giggled.

‘Okay, I believe you. But how-’

The door opened. Harry poked his head through.

‘Everything okay?’

‘Yeah,’ Ronnie said, cheerfully as she held Hermione’s hand. ‘She’s okay. And so am I.’

‘Cool. And… did you both…’

Ronnie nodded.

‘Fantastic!’ Harry said, grinning. ‘I’m so happy for you two!’

‘W-wait, what?’ Hermione exclaimed, utterly at sea. ‘Harry, did… did you know?’

‘I guessed. Besides, me and Ronnie work better as friends anyway.’

‘You… you two aren’t a couple?’ Hermione gasped, looking between them both. ‘I thought… after you kissed at the lake-’

‘You are one daft maid,’ Ronnie chuckled, pecking her on the cheek. ‘But that makes two of us, eh?’

Hermione smiled, as she held Ronnie’s hand. Maybe, on occasion, the best friend did get the girl. Even if they were also a girl, too.

 ~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you enjoyed it!

[retroosquared]

hello! feel free to leave this unposted if you prefer. I just wanted to thank you personally for uploading the techno dress-up template (and the bulgarian techno example) - it gave me inspiration and an incentive to research my own history, a little bit. it feels like traditional austrian clothing is a bit of a joke everywhere nowadays (including austria itself) and I've never really taken it seriously myself. you (among other things) made me consider it, though, and it was ... sort of liberating? to take it seriously? I've been raised so disconnected from my culture so it was a little groundbreaking. anyway. before I go on for too long - thank you. also I really enjoy your art. <3

dude this means so much holy shit. first of all i hope u can have fun with the dress-up template!! 2nd of all, its so dope that me doing this has inspired u like this! in all honesty, even though ive worn bulgarian nosii a LOT i never rly paid a ton of attention to them and the way they vary in different regions of bulgaria, and drawing it on techno had me Realizing stuff man. austrian traditional clothes are cool as hell once you look past the silly halloween costumified versions so go fuckin wild with it :') also thank u!!

[wintersoldierland]

not too broken to fix

part 3 of witch bucky au, which can be found here

also on ao3

|

For a long while, he doesn’t remember his name.

Not just because of the HYDRA but because of the many many memories, tangled together. Thousands of years all bound by his memory, different names, genders, religions, races. He remembers them all yet none of them.

He remembers being Veles, the Slavic god; Tezcatlipoca, an Aztec deity; Anulap, a god of magic in Truk Island mythology; Hecate of the Greeks; Baba Yaga of Russian folklore; a witch in eastern Europe, over and over again; a witch in Salem, burning bright with the flames of stakes.

He remembers it all.

Most of all, he remembers Tony. Not always named that, not always looking like he does now, but he remembers his soul, bright with creation. His wife, companion, husband, lover, forever love.

He remembers it all and none of it.

It’s confusing, so he runs. He gets on a plane, then a train, then a bus, and ends up in rural Azerbaijan, surrounded by mountains and old, abandoned villages. Something is tugging him there, so he sets a base in one building and goes off to explore.

It feels strangely familiar as if he walked those streets before, and when he stands on top of the mountain, with the sun slowly setting around him, he knows where did the memory come from. He looks down, takes a deep breath and throws himself off the ledge.

For a second, there’s only wind and quietness, but then his memories surge up and James takes a deep breath of the cold, mountain air, before calling his magic to him and changing shape.

A raven soars over the hills and James’s mind heals.

He lets out a happy sound and lets the wind take him, over the familiar mountains and long-abandoned villages. Over paths lit with magic and old stories, forgotten for generations. James soars and feels free.

It’s something he forgot about, but now it sings in his blood. A witch cannot be tamed, cannot be bound. A witch of Old Magic is always wild.

James relishes in his newfound freedom and his mind drifts to Tony. His Tony, who exists in this world, who is as brilliant as always, a creator to the bone.

There’s a reason why he was the deity of creation so many times, even without direct magic in his soul. They’re tied together and James knows he’ll come back to him. Sooner or later he’ll come back when he puts himself back together enough to protect his heart. His little genius.

He flies for miles, never tiring, magic surging in his small body, thousands of years of memories slowly starting to set in their place.

James remembers their last meeting, how small but fierce Tony was, how curious. How his soul recognized James’s, even amidst the magic and darkness of the All Soul’s Day. If he could smile, he would.

There’s something soothing in seeing the lands below him pass, in the cold air of the wind, of the Old Magic of the Earth. James can feel it calling to him, the skies rejoicing that he’s back. It feels like coming to the childhood home, not quite where his heart lies now but filled with good memories. He flies and flies and his magic trails behind him, a bright blue hoe on a black sky.

He thinks of Tony and his heart sings, anticipating their meeting, even as he lands and gets lost in the small, people-filled cities near the rivers. James soaks up the atmosphere, builds himself back, brick by brick, learns to smile again. There’s a lot that can’t be fixed so soon, even if his months of travels, but it’s a start. He’s not scared of himself anymore.

James starts to practice his magic again. Helps the villagers, makes flowers for the girls, makes butterflies from his hands, heals a pregnant woman. He heals others and by that, he heals himself.

It feels good to be useful again. He’s always been a helper, even as a god. Put on the Earth to aid humans, mortals, in their short lives. Make it a bit easier. He feels more like himself, more like Bucky Barnes, more like Veles and Anulap, like Evelyn of the Rhear village, helping her neighbours with her gentle magic; like a witch.

It’s good.

He comes back to Irland, where he traces back the steps of druids he once belonged to, visits Newgrange and spends the winter solstice there, laughing when the rays of Saturn and the Sun warm up his core. He revisits his many roots, takes from the Earth and gives back. 

Eventually, James visits Peggy Carter who’s old and weak but her spirit is strong. She remembers him as the witch, not as Bucky Banes, but James just smiles and presses something into her shaking hands.

“You remembered,” she says softly, watching the small stone statue with gleaming emeralds emerge. James smiles bitterly.

“It’s a work in process.”

She just laughs. “You’re a good man. A good witch. It is my time, isn’t it?”

He sighs and squeezes her hand with his metal one, so reminiscent of the black one he always has. The price of his magic. “It’s close,” James admits.

Peggy just nods, content. “I had a good life,” she tells him. “I love my husband very much, and maybe I’ll meet him this time.”

James looks at the energy around her and chuckles when he notices the fierce pink hue around her heart. “He loves you too, very much. I don’t know the future, but you’re strong. Sometimes it takes a bit of waiting.”

“You know something about it,” Peggy snickers. For a second, his magic works and James sees her as young and beautiful as she was during the war, dressed in her uniform. It makes him warm.

“It’s worth it,” he replies. 

“I know.”

They sit in silence some more before she stirs again. “It’s time for you to go,” she says. “Thank you for visiting.”

James laughs and kisses her forehead. “I had something to return to you.”

They don’t say goodbyes, they’ll meet again. Sometime.

He leaves, feeling lighter than he has in years, and then promptly escapes New York before Steve can find him. James remembers him, he really does, but he’s not ready to come back yet. There are things waiting for him still.

This time, he doesn’t take the plane, he just changes into a raven and flies, for miles and miles, watching as land turns to water and then back to land again before the Andes start towering over him. There, James finds his old path and lands on a ledge.

The old kingdom stretches below him, bright green and pulsing with life. James can feel the pollution of humans who have no idea just how old and powerful those lands are, so he sits down and breathes slowly.

His magic stretches over the jungle and the earth welcomes him, recognizing him even with centuries that have passed. James smiles and lets himself get lost in slowly healing what’s broken. Countless souls come to kneel before him, and then go home, where they belong.

It’s exhausting, but also rewarding, healing something so old and powerful, fixing the damage of years of abuse. 

He gets a piece of himself there, a bloody and important one.

The piece of a fierce witch, drawing with blood on people’s faces, standing in the flames and laughing in the faces of gods. Someone bold and cruel, someone capable of anything. It’s not pretty, but James feels stronger, with his dark parts and bad memories.

There’s a weight on his shoulders when he leaves but he stands straighter.

It takes James a few months, and it feels simultaneously like seconds and forever. After all, what are months next to eternity? And what are months while waiting to be reunited with your heart?

He doesn’t hurry though, because he knows Tony will understand. It doesn’t matter if the man remembers because even if he does, he’ll understand. His love is incredibly forgiving and kind. It only makes James love him more.

James keeps tabs on the Avengers, smiles and huffs at Steve, stares at the image of Tony Stark on a shitty TV deep in Bulgarian mountains, smirks when he sees another HYDRA base destroyed. He does his fair share of destroying and dismantling, but it’s not a priority now.

All he wants to do is gather his pieces, glue himself back together and get back to his love.

It’s only right that the day he deems himself right enough is All Soul’s Day. Now called Halloween, he knows, it’s cliche and tacky and the power cracks in the air. Nature doesn’t forget, and neither does James.

He gets on a plane and lands in New York well into the night, and it’s only there that he realizes that something is wrong. Someone is using magic, Old Magic, and using it wrong. James growls when the Avengers appear on the screen fighting and old woman. A wannabe druid at that.

James rolls his eyes and then gets to work.

At the end of the day, he has Tony Stark in his arms, smiling into his neck and his heart feels whole. James doesn’t kiss him yet, because it’s not necessary. Their souls know each other, this meeting a mirror of their last one, and James just closes his eyes, rejoicing in the moment.

There will be time for explanations yet.

[elsarosier]

reintroductions !

- Has anything changed in their lives since the Halloween attacks?  If so what?    she realised just how much she’d care if something were to happen to malachi. yes, she cared before the attacks, and she wanted him safe and everything, but they made it really sink in that she really really wants him safe and she really really really cares about him ( she’s still kiiinda convinced love isn’t a thing but also she’s kinda figuring out she’s in love with him ) . she also realised that no matter what happens, even if she formally switches sides, she doesn’t care what malachi does, she’ll still love him ( well, care for him, she’ll figure out that it’s love soon ok ) and she’s unlikely to formally switch sides because of how much she just wants to be with him.

   since malachi’s reaction to her admitting that all though, the nightmares about her fifth year have started up again. while he was gone, she panicked, did basically nothing, ignored the owls and floo calls from her mother, and anyone else who tried, and basically locked herself in the library except she hasn’t read anything. she hasn’t slept after she woke up screaming the first night, and she’s only eaten because when the elves eventually came home from helping her friend at school, they forced her to.

- Has their allegiance changed or has it grown stronger?      she’s figured out she really doesn’t agree with the cause, especially the blood purity stuff. at the moment, she’s unlikely to admit to anyone else but evan and malachi ( & ofc currently very panicked over malachi’s reaction ) .

- Where do they see themselves after the war?      married to malachi, with a family eventually.

-What does your character hope to achieve during the war?    she just wants malachi and evan to come out of it alive ( and not in azkaban )

-If your character could speak to a younger version of themselves, what do you think they would say?    she’d tell her that it’s okay to be scared and that just because her parents’ relationship with each other is cold doesn’t mean she’s going to have that so she should stop acting like it

- And finally, what are some new or unshared head cannons you have for your character? 

   - this has been pretty implied ( and actually i might’ve mentioned it tbh & it’s in one of the malachi/elsa posts ) but i never made a formal post for it. for elsa, a loving marriage was always the exception, not the rule. she’s genuinely surprised to hear that lucius malfoy’s parents married for love, and while thrilled that they did, and that lucius and narcissa seem to be very much in love, or getting to that point, she still sees it as the exception, not the rule. she’s yet to connect the dots for her own relationship, and is convinced that her caring so deeply for malachi is different from love, even though it most definitely is love.

   - she likes plants and flowers, but she absolutely does not care whether she has sunflowers or orchids or tulips or something else for an event. she just cares that she doesn’t have any roses in the same room as her.

   - she learned muggle self defence after the incident in her fifth year because she hated feeling so powerless

   - she has nightmares because of said incident, but they stopped when she moved in with malachi. when they got into the recent argument the nightmares came back.

   - she was supposed to be a scorpio but i forgot her birthday so now she’s a pisces so i have time to plan ( and possibly forget again )

   - elsa learns languages because she gets bored, and she enjoys them. she speaks english, french, and bulgarian fluently, and ukrainian and japanese conversationally. she’s currently studying cantonese and spanish.

   - she’s really good at makeup. like, she can paint whole like, fancy stuff on her face if she wants and sometimes when she’s bored and doesn’t feel like reading she does. she just doesn’t have that much of a use for any of the really extravagant stuff cos she can’t turn herself into a sunflower for events. also if her mother knew she was doing makeup by hand the muggle way...

   - elsa’s a good occlumens, and therefore despite being openly less conservative, is still able to hide how much she disagrees with well because she’s generally good at keeping people out of her head. 

[youngbradford]

Xmas Message For 2019

And here we go, my 19th annual year-end love letter online …Georgi Balinov and I rang in the new year at a giant party in Bangkok, halfway around the world. That foreign location, its beauty and tastes, set the tone for my 2019, a year of seeing the world, while stabilizing my life. Though often in flux or movement, 2019 was a year many things normalized over the year.

In January, almost immediately after arriving stateside, I crossed the pond and saw Michelle Visage perform in the West End with Peter Wish. Afterward, I played with her wigs backstage and walked her towards the queer kids lining up for selfies and autographs. I am very lucky to have Peter and Michelle in my life, kindred spirits both. One reminding me that fame, fortune, ebb, and flow, but that being real is what matters most. The other, a reminder to stay forever young. I visited Berlin yet again and did the usual, working, and playing, hard.

February appeared and I traveled to Philadelphia with Sandra Hansel, Georgi, George Sapio, and Anthony DeFilippis. We toured Lisa Roberts’ house, saw a Dieter Rams exhibit, dined with George Alley. In Lambertville, that Sunday, I bought vinyl and vintage hats. Later that month, I got a swallow tattooed on my hand, a symbol of flight and travel, and Warhol’s knives, blackened into my shin. An Eames exhibit in Oakland was a sweet way to end the month.

In March with my crew, Georgi, Khadyon Reid, Luis Urribarri, Anthony, and George, descended upon Salvador for Carnival. It was insane! I watched Anitta live, and danced in a sea of pushing, fighting, kissing Brazilians for days upon days. I felt unsafe and alive, threatened and excited. It was intense. Back home I got my other hand tattooed, again honoring my love of seeing the world. I traveled to Portland, came back to NYC at the end of the month, finally moving into our apartment, the one we bought 1.5 years before, that I designed, and had renovated head to toe. Finally, we had our dream home. The weekend we moved in, the place was still not ready, but we were sick of living without our things and in other people’s beds. Peg Kendall and Georgi’s mom came, and we worked our asses off unpacking and starting to make the 2800 square foot loft on west 13th street a home. We’d lived in Airbnbs and friends’ places for 19 months and it was tiring not having a home, not having most of our things. My art! My toys! My shoes!. Those months taught me how important a home, a safe place, and the oasis of my collections is to my mental health. From March on I felt more on solid ground and dedicated more energy to my career and friendships as a result.

In April we went to Coachella, seeing Ian and Jose Seronni, JJ and Andrey Lunin, and dancing in the desert of California. Multiple trips to San Francisco, catching glimpse of old friends, scaling my team at work, as I took on more and more responsibility.

In May, George Sapio and I celebrated (me a little early) a shared, fun birthday weekend at Soho Farmhouse. Joined by Matthew Kelleher, Mark Silver, Jaime Tanner, Matt Lynch, and others, we went shooting and feasted on pheasant in the English countryside.June was really busy, insanely so. 

For my 43rd in early June, I had a 30-person dinner party in our new place! We ended up at Club Cumming after, but before friends, new, and old, showered me with a vinyl record, the admission fee I’d set for my party. Lauren Foster, who has shared her home with us, was, appropriately, our first overnight guest. London, again, Berlin, too. Then home for Pride. Willam Ralphie hosted Bingo at eBay, Zach Augustine, David Mason Chlopecki, other loves attended. That weekend danced to both Madonna and Grace Jones on the pier and danced with 15K others at Javitz, where my favorite singer, Cyndi Lauper, belted “I Drove All Night,” her best song, at midnight. I stayed until the sun came up. NYC was electric that weekend. Parties, icons, friends from the world over … the city has an energy you could literally see and taste. I caught a few moments of the parade, overtaking lower Manhattan, and I smiled really big. God, it can feel good being gay! God, the world has improved for gay people (and yes, I know, we still have ways to go, especially for more marginalized LGBTQ groups). But I still took a moment to acknowledge the things that are better, that I have seen in my very gay lifetime. NYC that weekend was the ultimate place to reflect.

July 4th I went to Hamptons, with Ricardo, Brian, Felipe L. Mollica, others, guests of Anthony. Hosted Fab.com reunion, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, and took my team to Korea (where I shared a traditional Korean meal with Jae Hah), China (where I ate bird’s nests, jellyfish, sea snails, saw a Yves Klein show with Adnan Abbasi, and danced to 90s pop in a packed gay club), and Moscow (where I was amazed at how clean the city was and where I went to a traditional sauna and was whipped, naked, with tree leaves in front of dozens of Russian dudes in the nude). While in Russia a protest erupted, literally below the rooftop bar I dined in. Russia seemed freer than I’d expected, way more Western, up until this moment. I ended the weekend at a club at 3 AM, Russian women in high, high heels, dancing on the bar, vodka flowing like water. 2020 saw me traveling to places I romanticized as a child. Russia, one such place. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendships formed in Moscow, the food, and history. I want to return.

August, I was back in San Jose and Portland for work, then off again to Europe for vacation. We started our trip in Croatia, where Georgi and I kayaked around Dbruvnik’s harbor. Croatia’s cliffs and turquoise water did not disappoint, as we boated to islands and swam in caves. Driving south into Montenegro, the architecture reminded me more of Polish, Bulgarian trips, the water, greener. At the Amman we laid out next to The Beckhams, watching David kick a soccer ball with workers of the hotel, and watching Victoria read a book. Georgi and I then ventured to Mykonos, sunning til sunset and dancing til sunrise. A weekend trip upstate with our besties (including a guest appearance by Eric Lee, riding rides at the Colombia County fair, cooking pies, and grilling meats, ended our summer.

In September I went to Berlin and did Folsom and a speaking gig in front of 1K eBay sellers. I went again to Tel Aviv, meeting gay Israeli technology workers and a bevy fo Israeli start-ups. In Jerusalem, I returned to the wonderful Machneyuda with Gilad Ayalon, where they remembered me from my birthday the year before.

October saw us hosting my mother and my niece for a visit. We fell in love with Company XVI, a dance/burlesque/performance art troupe in Brooklyn. I took my mother to see Madonna, a night I will cherish forever. And we saw Dear Evan Hanson. A weekend in Miami with Lauren Foster and K was needed warmth. I took Georgi to see both acts of The Inheritance (so good!).  Then off to Berlin, again, and Paris, where I looked at art and went shopping for fall clothes. Halloween, in NYC, was brilliant and over the top; I went as white Pierrot clown. In Brooklyn, to Honey Dijon, we danced all night. Ralph Rucci, the American couturier reposted our photo on Instagram, calling it high-fashion, however, it was Georgi who won the night as Spock.

November I was in NYC early on, shopping with Thomas Cawson (who hooked me up with pink denim Helmut Lang), eating Christmas cookies, and being interviewed by Buzzfeed, a segment on 90s toys. I imitated a Furby. Then a week in Portland (I glow-in-the-dark-miniature-golfed), and off to Helsinki, catching up with former friends from Fab, One Nordic, Hem. Then to Lapland, with Georgi, George, and Anthony, lapping up wine, winter wonderlands, and dining on reindeer and elk. Dog sledding, snowmobiling, Northen lights! Another childhood desire checked from the list. Dinner with Michelle Case in London closed the month.

In December I went back to Berlin (my second home) and hosted a fundraiser for Single Step in our home. In one night Georgi and I helped raise $50K to help build Bulgaria’s first LGBTI center. It was also an impromptu holiday party: so many old friends together again in one room. And now Georgi and I sit in an airport lounge, awaiting our flight to Baltra, in the Galapagos. Once we land, we’ll board a 7-day cruise on a mega-yacht/small cruise ship. This, I feel, I have been waiting my entire life for.

I often write about how I was lonely as a kid. I was gay, I had a drug-addicted father, I grew up very poor. I oftentimes say music saved my life. But, I don’t write enough about the joy animals gave me too. I had so many pets: newts, turtles, tortoises, tree frogs, geckos, crabs, salamanders, etc. Caring for them, feeding them, gave me peace and allowed me to love. One turtle I had had a cracked shell. He lived in my room for many, many years. I always preferred him, with his defects, to the others. I think I feel the same about people.

As a child, I became obsessed with the Galapagos Islands, and mostly the tortoises. I would read about them in encyclopedias and race to see them at zoos. I always felt connected to turtles. They were my spirit animal. Later in life, I’d bloom, my feathers growing, my pride, alive. I’d no longer consider myself a turtle, my spirit animal changed. I told this story to my colleague Eben Sermon, who runs eBay’s German business: I always wanted to be a turtle. But I ended up a cockatoo. Eben brought this up last week in Berlin and it made me think a bit more about affinities for animals and how I have not had that connection as often as I probably should.

So this week, before we ring in New Years in Rio, I will honor the old me, the kid, the quieter Bradford, the sadder Bradford, by visiting those turtles, finally.

And I’ll marvel at the wonder of nature and evolution, both the evolution of animals and this world, and also the very real and dramatic evolution of my spirit and happiness.

Happy Holidays, Peace & Big Love

[misha-has-a-wormstache]

Tagged by @strawbaby-princess

Name: I’m not comfortable sharing that information

Nickname: I don’t really think I have one

Zodiac Sign: 

Language Spoken: English but I know some words in other languages (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, Spanish, German, Polish, Russian, Bulgarian, Swedish, Italian and Gaelic)

Nationality: American

Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate: I drink coffee but I prefer hot chocolate

Favorite Fruit: Rasberries

Favorite Season: Fall or Winter. In winter you can cuddle up in blankets and drink hot chocolate but in fall we have Halloween

Favorite Scent: Vanilla

Favorite Color: Red but  I also like blue and green

Favorite Animal: It’s a tie between Koala, Grey Wolf and a fox

Average Amount of Sleep: It ranges from 3-10 hours

Cats or Dogs: They’re both cute and fluffy but I prefer cats because they’re a lot calmer

Number of Blankets: 2 but I usually only use one during the hotter seasons

Dream Trip: Somewhere not too busy since I hate large groups of people. Maybe somewhere quiet in Japan (I’ve wanted to go for a while)

Blog Established: Maybe a year ago or so

Follower Count: I think that I’m at about 50

@littlebunnnyx @malevolent96 @the-randomest-ofthe-fandomest

[useless-bulgariafacts]

October 26th is Dimìtrovden/Mitrovden (Димитровден), or the Orthodox feast day of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki. (Bulgarian: Свети Димитър Солунски) He is a 3rd-4th century Christian saint and great martyr (великомъченик) from the city of Thessaloniki in Greece, of which he is the patron saint.

Hagiographies refer to St. Demetrius as a young man of a senatorial family, who became proconsul and was tasked with persecuting Christians in the at the time still pagan Roman Empire. However, being himself Christian, he instead protected them, for which the emperor had him jailed. He was later speared to death as punishment for the defeat of the gladiator Lyaeus at the hands of Demetrius' disciple, Nestor. This marked the beginning of his veneration by Christians in the area, which grew in the following centuries, as he was said to guard the city against raiders.

Albeit not one originally, during the Middle Ages St. Demetrius came to be revered as a warrior saint, and iconography portrays him riding on a red horse, running a spear through various enemies — often Lyaeus, but also whoever was locally perceived as an enemy. In Greek icons, this is sometimes the Bulgarian tsar Kaloyan, while in Bulgarian ones — the Byzantine emperor Basil II The Bulgarslayer, or later on, a Turk. St. Demetrius is also associated with the founding of the Second Bulgarian Tsardom, specifically the uprising of the brothers Petăr and Asen, which broke out on Oct. 26th, 1185. The St. Demetrius church in Veliko Tărnovo (pictured above) was built in commemoration the event, and served as a coronation site of Asen dynasty tsars, who claimed him as their patron.

Traditionally, Dimitrovden marks the end of the seasonal transition from fall to winter, a period which begins on Oct. 14th with Petkovden. Bulgarian folk mythology casts the saints George and Demetrius in the role of twin brothers, whose respective holidays split the year into its warm and cold halves. The latter, elder of the two, ushers in the cold and darkness, as he rides in on his red horse and the winter's first snowflakes sprinkle down onto the earth from his beard. As St. George's opposite and counterpart, he takes on the qualities of a chthonic deity, and thus has connotations to death and the Beyond — under his patronage the so-called Dimitrovska Zadushnica takes place on the Saturday prior to Dimitrovden, one of several such holidays where food is given out in honor of deceased ancestors. Perhaps this is also why, in addition to St. George, folk imagination places him as a brother to Archangel Michael and nephew to St. Paraskeva/Petka.

Dimitrovden is the true end to the year's agrarian cycle — the harvest now over, it's time to put the farm tools away, make sure the animals have shelter and firewood is stocked up. It's also when farmhands and other labourers' contracts expire and they get rehired for the year ahead, which is why the day is also known as Razpust (Разпуст). As with other big holidays, a community-wide celebratory feast is held, and the customary ritual meal (or kurban) is mutton. The biggest ram is chosen, a pair of gold-painted apples are placed onto its horns and those present bow before it, after which it's slaughtered and cooked, and receives a priest's blessing before being served. Festivities are accompanied by music and horo (group dancing), which again has an intended matchmaking function. Namesakes of the saint celebrate the occasion, too — but they're traditionally served a chicken or rooster dish, according to gender. Other foods for Dimitrovden include corn, seasonal fruit and derived dishes, such as apple pita, pestil (a type of plum dessert), rachel (pumpkin syrup), etc.

Another activity which traditionally ends on Dimitrovden is construction work — a new house is supposed to have been completed by then, and the homeowners celebrate by throwing their own feast with a kurban, and inviting friends and relatives to witness the house being blessed by the master mason and the priest. The feast day has therefore been adopted as a career holiday of builders and masons.

The day's connection to the mysterious and otherworldly has inspired various beliefs and rituals of prognostic or divinatory nature, and anything from the weather and moon phases, to the behaviour of farm animals is observed carefully and used to make future predictions. Characteristic is the custom, known as polazvane (полазване), wherein members of the household make note of the first person to visit them, to physically cross the threshold into their home, and interpret them as a portent of things to come. Also, according to old treasure hunting legends, Dimitrovden is when "the sky opens" and buried gold emits a blue-ish flame just above ground.

Dimitrovden is part of the group of holidays, based around the idea of transition and liminality; between fall and winter, between the world of the living and of the dead. The Christian and pre-Christian symbolism intertwine, the martyr death of the saint mirrors the "death" of nature as the earth is covered in snow and daytime engulfed by darkness. And crucially — for a people whose perception of time follows nature's cycles — the coming of winter brings not only a period of calm and rest, but the promise of spring and renewal.

[darkpoisonouslove]

Halloween Tag Game

I was tagged by @theonceoverthinker. Thank you so much!!! I love tag games but I rarely get tagged because I barely interact with people. Curse my social skills. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Favorite candy

Halloween is not all that popular in Bulgaria but if we celebrated it by going door to door for candy, this is what I would love to be given.

Favorite monster

Samodiva

I would love to give you a picture but the ones I can find do not exactly represent what a samodiva is. Have a description tho:

“Samodivas are commonly depicted as ethereal maidens with long, loose hair, and in some cases, wings. They are typically dressed in free-flowing, feathered white gowns, which give them the power of flight. Samodivas are often described as blonde, tall, slender women with pale, glowing skin and fiery eyes.” - Wikipedia

They don’t sound very monsterous but I promise you they can be pretty nasty.

“Samodivas are believed to be very beautiful women with an affinity for fire. They have the power to bring about drought, burn a farmer's crops, or make cattle die of high fever. It is said that, when angered, a Samodiva can change her appearance and turn into a monstrous bird, capable of throwing fire at her enemies.” - Wikipedia (again)

They can also steal the live energy of the men they keep as lovers. 

I love Samodivas because they are beautiful but vicious creatures. They are typical for Bulgarian (and other Slavic countries) folklore and are a great epitomy of nature - breathtaking in their beauty but dangerous in their nature. They also represent Bulgarian folklore well because while most of it is touching, stories usually have a tragic ending. It’s just something deeply rooted into our culture. But Bulgarians have learned to find beauty in tragedy and draw inspiration from it and Samodivas reflect that.

Do I Think I’ll Die A Violent Death?

Gee, I hope not. But I’m very sarcastic and a real prick so I wouldn’t be that surprised if someone decided to stab me some day.

(Have an OUAT gif because I can’t help myself)

i’m tagging @terironi and @onceuponatimeihadalife.

[the-fandom-newsletter]

Fandom Newsletter #3

Today is Friday, October 12th of 2018 and welcome back to another Fandom Newsletter, you’re provider for all things fandom!

Writers: Atlas, Blackpurrl, Fyne, YoursTruly 

Editors: Fyne & YoursTruly 

“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality.”

-Tim Burton 

Let’s get started- 

First to YoursTruly with the: Hannibal, Horror, Tim Burton, Animation, Marvel, Movie fandoms- 

Hannibal: The Fannibals are getting excited for the new book by Thomas Harris, even if it won’t include everyone’s favorite cannibal. It’s been released that the book will be a thriller like Harris’s previous novels. The title and cover are still yet to be released. 

Horror: Horror fans everywhere are starting to get psyched for the new Halloween movie, which will be released next Friday, the 19th. Many fans are nervous about the movie due to the trailer. The trailer would make it seem that the beloved murderer Michael Myers will be killed in this film. Guess all we can do is wait and see. 

Tim Burton: Burtonists are petitioning for The Nightmare Before Christmas to get a Broadway adaptation. The movie is already a musical, but fans want to see it on Broadway. 

Animation: Fans if the animated web series Camp Camp from Rooster Teeth are thrilled to see Daniel return for the Halloween special. The beloved cult leader was 'killed off' in season 2, but he has somehow come back from the dead just to seek revenge. 

Marvel: Marvel fans are welcoming the Venom movie with open arms! After many of them saw the movie last weekend, many of them can’t stop talking about how incredible it is! One fan even stating, “Going to see Venom is like going to the theater to see The Dark Knight, but seeing Thor:Ragnarok instead.” 

Next to Blackpurrl with the Percy Jackson and Harry Potter fandoms and World News-

Harry Potter: COUNTDOWN: 36 days until the new Fantastic Beasts!

Percy Jackson: Rick Riordan has started a new series based on Hindu mythology! It’s called Aru Sha and the End of Time.

World News: Viktoria Marinova: man arrested in Germany over Bulgarian journalist murder.

Now to Fyne with the Supernatural, Sherlock, YouTube, and Sooptober fandoms, as well as your weekly dose of good news-

Supernatural - Before bringing Supernatural to television, creator Eric Kripke had been developing the series for nearly ten years. Having been fascinated with urban legends since he was a child, Kripke got inspiration from some of his favorite urban legends which can be shown by many of the episodes in the first season (the woman in white, wendigo, Bloody Mary, etc.) and when the show expanded from just urban legends to religions and gods outside of not only the norm, but our time period, Kripke became even more excited about the show (even if he did want to end it after the fifth season).

Sherlock - China's ban on the show hasn't stopped it becoming a huge hit on the internet. Despite not appearing on the Chinese Central Television (CCT) network or other major channels, 69 million viewers from China have still seen it on video websites. Initially makers didn't expect it to be quite the hit it has been in the UK, either. Steven Moffat thought it would bring in somewhere in the region of 4 million viewers. It's average is more than double that. Even more than triple that.

YouTube - Fans of YouTube and Halloween have united in a show of many horror games and skits spanning across the youtube platform. Multitudes of youtubers have been playing horror games, participating in inktober, writing horrifying skits and scripts, and overall just getting into the Halloween spirit. As of now there isn’t very much drama going on in the YouTube world (minus that fact that IISuperwomanII just released a diss track on all the men of YouTube and their channels) and it seems that YouTubers have found ways to work around the ad-pocolypse, therefore easing the many worries and anxieties fans had of losing touch with their favorite youtubers.

Spooptober - Did you know that Halloween is more Irish than St. Patrick's Day? Halloween's origins come from a Celtic festival for the dead called Samhain. Celts believed the ghosts of the dead roamed Earth on this holiday, so people would dress in costumes and leave ‘treats’ out on their front doors to appease the roaming spirits. It has since been adapted to our loved and cherished holiday of today. 

Positive News - Americans under the age of 45 have found a novel way to rebel against their elders: They’re staying married. New data show younger couples are approaching relationships very differently from baby boomers, who married young, divorced, remarried and so on. Generation X and especially millennials are being pickier about who they marry, tying the knot at older ages when education, careers and finances are on track. The result is a U.S. divorce rate that dropped 18 percent from 2008 to 2016, according to an analysis by University of Maryland sociology professor Philip Cohen. Millennials are causing the US divorce rate to plummet, and it’s not a bad thing. 

Lastly to Atlas with the Voltron, British, Musicals, and Bands fandoms- 

British: I’m still trying to figure out why Death in Paradise star Sara Martins left the show…*tear*

Musicals: Imagine if Hamilton was modernized… 

Voltron: Voltron Season 8 confirmed for DECEMBER 14TH! Fans be sCrEaMiNg. Also, it’s rumored that the Altean that crash landed was sent by Haggar.

Bands: Band All Time Low covered a Harry Styles song… Ha. Ha. hA. Yeah….. what else could go wrong?

Now back to Blackpurrl with the weekly trivia fact and quiz- 

Trivia: Uranium is the heaviest element on Earth.

Quiz: What candy are you?

1. Pick your flavor 

A. Sweet

B. Salty

C. Fruity

D. Sour

2. Consistency?

A. Solid, but meltable

B. Sticky

C. Solid

D. Chewy

3. How would you be packaged?

A. One per package 

B. Wrapped alone in waxy paper

C. Wrapped in decorated paper

D. Packaged in groups

4. Any color?

A. No, plain is fine.

B. A few different light colors would be nice.

C. ALL THE COLORS. RAINBOW SOMETIMES TOO.

D. Like five different colors is fine.

5. Shape?

A. A bar

B. A cube-ish shape. Idk, it’s kind of a blob.

C. All the shapes!

D. Humannnn......

Mostly A’s: Chocolate bars!

Mostly B’s: Saltwater Taffy!

Mostly C’s: Lollipops!

Mostly D’s: Sour Patch Kids!

And now to Fyne with the weekly book review-

Book Review - Serafina and the Black Cloak written by Robert Beatty is a dark thriller that takes place in 1899 North Carolina. Children at the wealthy Biltmore estate are being abducted during the night, and nobody knows what is causing it. The adults are terrified yet clueless and only 12-year-old Serafina, who lives secretly in the basement with her mechanic father, knows that a mysterious man in a black cloak is taking them. She teams up with the owner of the estate’s son, Braeden, to try and solve the mystery and get the children back home. This scary story is not for the faint of heart; the abduction scenes are graphic as children scream out in terror and seemingly vanish into the foul-smelling cloak. Serafina and Braeden are often under attack from the man in the cloak and other supernatural beings, but for those looking for a scare and a book that will grip them from start to finish with many plot twists along the way this book is perfect. Overall for kids a 8/10 and for adults a 6/10 would read. 

Lastly, back to Atlas with the weekly movie review-

Movie Review: Truth or Dare is a movie rated PG -13 And was released some time last year. Starring Lucy Hale, this movie centers around a group of teens’ trip to Mexico. During that trip, they get caught in a game of Truth Or Dare. When they learn that the game is cursed, it’s a matter of life and death. Don’t tell the Truth, you die. Don’t do the Dare, you die. So, what would you choose? Truth or Dare?

The comic included at the bottom is once again drawn by our very talented Blackpurrl! YoursTruly’s birthday is coming up on Sunday so wish her a good one! That’s all for this week, we’ll see you next week with another Fandom Newsletter! 

Signing off, 

Atlas, Blackpurrl, Fyne, and YoursTruly